Counter



July 19, 1932. 1 MQRGAN 1,868,290

COUNTER Filed March 9, 1929l 3 Sheets-Sheet, l

W y F hi-"MMIII WITNEaSEs: LF 'INI/ENTOR:

, ATTORNEY.

July 19, 1932.V i J. L. MoRGAN Y 1,868,290

WITNEssEs: INVENTOR.-

. 'faim Larfflerlmyazul ATTORNEY.

July 19, 1932- J. MORGAN 1,868,290

COUNTER Filed March 9, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 a WITNE 515.5.- 4 1NVENTOR:

folm LaWlerMoza,

Patented July 19, 1932 Unirse STATES PATENT oFFiCa i i JOHN LAWLER MORGAN, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIG-NOR TO JESSE SATENSTEI'N,

yOIIE NEW YORK, N. Y,

COUNTER The present invention relates to electrically operated counters to be attached to machines for the counting of movements of a part thereof or the counting of articles moving along a course. c

An obj ect of the invention is to provide an apparatus of such construction that an `accurate and dependable count of movements or articles may be made thereby.

A further object is to provide an apparatus for counting in the manner set forth which may be readily applied to machines of various descriptions for counting and to various parts of such machines.

A still further object is to provide an electrical apparatus for counting in the above manner, a switch which is adapted to take advantage of the deflection from astraight course of articles moving along said course for the operation of said apparatus.

The invention is particularly applicable to the counting of such articles as sheets of paper moving along a course, as in a folding machine, said course having a bend therein, and consists in an electric circuit including therein a `counter operating means, and a switch operable by movement articles or mechanism.

The switch may be made more sensitive by having one of the terminals flexibly mounted and one of the contacts or terminals may be made of carbon to prevent the production of arcs and a consequent welding ofthe contacts together andthereby destroying its utility. The counter operating means may be electromagnetic in character and impedance may be reduced or eliminated altogether from the coil of the electro-magnet by shunting a lamp across the circuit between the switch and the electro-magnet. In the application of this apparatus to a machine such as a Cleveland folder where sheets of paper pass along a course and are deiiected downwardly therefrom to the folding mechanism, advantage may be taken of the kiclrup of the rear ends of the sheets so passing, as they are deflected from the straight line course, to increase the accuracy of the count. Other peculiarities of the movement of the sheets in their movements when fed `between the racks and against an abutment by feed rollers i i may be taken advantage of to insure accuracy of the count. l Y

The principles of ythe invention will vbe set forth in an embodiment thereof as applied to a Cleveland folder, andin order to more clearly appreciate the said principles, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which, c Figure 1 is a more or less schematic view showing the conveying rollers of a Cleveland folder together with a fragmentary portion of the folding mechanismand showing the switch of the present embodiment of my invention connected therewith.

Figure 2 is a section through the switch casing illustrating they switch itself and the member for attaching the same to a support. i

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the switch casing and mechanism. a

Figure i is a plan view of accounting mechanism and the operating mechanism associated therewith with the casing removed. y

Figure 5 is a section through the casing further illustrating the counter mechanism in connection with the .operating mechanism.

Figure 6 is a perspective view yof the casing showing the counter indications and a window for the observation of the lamp and Y a switch protruding from the casing.l

Figure/7 is a diagrammatic view showing the scheme of wiring with the switches, counter mechanism and the lamp in circuit. y

Figure 8 is a. fragmentary detail view of a variation in the switch mechanism represented in Figures 2 and 3.

The invention as previously stated is particularly applicable to a paper folder and to such other mechanism in which great'sensitiveness of the apparatus and 'accuracy of the count is required. Y

v Great' difficulty has been experienced in providing an electric counter which is dei pendable inl operation and suiiciently sensitive to count sheets as they pass alongthe course.

The illustration in Figure 1 shows the ses cation ofthe mechanism to a folding machine.

I take advantage of certain characteristics ofthe movement of the sheets in being fed from the table to the folder rone of which is the fact that as the sheets are deflected from the horizontal course and fed to the folding mechanism, the rear end. of each Asheet will be lifted off of the conveyor rollers and will have a certain kick up at its rear end.

Referring first to Figure 7 of4 the drawings; 10 designates an electric circuit which may be fed from any suitable source as from main wires through leads 11 and this circuit has included therein an electro-magnet 12 and a switch 13, the former being arranged for operation of a counter and the latter for actuating the electromagnet incident to the movement of the sheets to be counted thereby. The counter is designated by the numeral 14 and may be suitably vconnected with the larmature of the electro-magnet for operation thereof. y Y y A manual switch 15 is placed in the circuit by means of which the mechanism may be rendered inoperative at will. Across the electro-magnet 12, I shuntJ a circuit 17 including a lamp 16, which tends to reduce the impedance in the coil of the electro-magnet. The counter is of any usual typewhereby eachcomplete reciprocation` of a crank arm 18 will register one count on the dials contained therein, the same being arrangedfor counting up to a predetermined numberr` Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, which illustrate the switch 13, 19 indicates a supporting block of libre or other insulating material on which are mounted the contacts 20 and 21,'the former being preferably of carbon and is supported by an arm 22 of conductive material to which one of the conductors of the circuitv is connected as by the screw 23. This contact member is preferably stationa-ry and is normally in constant contact with the contact member 2l which is flexibly mounted and adapted to rest. by gravity upon the'contact 20. The movable Contact 21 is preferably Aof metal and is pivoted to supports 24 having bearing apertures 25 .in their dependent lower ends. The contact 21 is yelectrically connected with' the other terminal of the ycircuit through one of the supports 24 as at l26 and the conductor which may be of phosphor-bremerisV con- 1,ses,29o

ysuitable manner as being held thereon by glue or by clips or other suitable holding fmeans. This member is designed to project into the path of travel ofL element-s to be countedand by contact thereof with such elements, the switch connection is momentarily broken lcausing registration in the counting device of the passing of the element. This member 28 may be of any suitable material and I have found a strip of paper serves the purpose quite well. The sensitiveness of this switch and the positiveness of its operation depends in aconsideravble measure on the exible mounting of the arm 21 by means'of the pivoted connection at25 with the supports 24.

rThe switch mechanism `here described may be protected by an enclosing casing 29 mountedon the insulating block 19 to which is secured or formed integral a suitable supporting device 31 for the switch which may be attached'to any convenient portion of the iachine as to a rod 30 extending transversely thereofas indicated in Figure l of the drawings. This member 31 may be constructed so as to be conveniently attached to a rod as` referred to above by forming the same with a lrerf 32 having a constricted neck 33 and a circular portion 34 into which the loo set screw35 may be projected as stated above.

feed rollers 39 and are passed'between the rollers 33 at an angle to the path of travel rlo defined bytheV rollers 39 on the feed table.

In makingthis turn, the rear end of the sheet will kickupV as indicated at 40and byproperly placing the switch mechanism the member 28 will be forced upwardly by the kickup of the rear end of the sheets as they pass between the rollers33. In this manneran accurate count of said sheetsimay be made regardless of whether the sheets are fedalong by the elements 39 separately or in an overlapping relation one to another. The sheets fed between the rollers 38 pass between the rack members 41and 42 Vcoming in contact with an vabutment 43 whereupon the sheets will buckle downwardly toward the folding rollers 44 land finally be clipped therebetween and folded as indicated inv Figure 1.

This characteristic of the movementof the fis provide an accurate count by suitably mounting the switch 13 relative thereto.

Referring now to the counting mechanism and the operating mechanism associated therewith as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings. The crank arm 18 of the counting mechanism 14 is connected through the link 45 with the armature 46 of the electro-magnet 12 and one complete oscillation of the arm 18 will make one complete count in the counting device, the stroke to the right being made by the energizing of the electromagnet and that in the opposite direction by the force of the contractile spring 47 connected at one end to the armature and by the other end to a screw or other suitable support 48. This screw may be arranged at various angles to adjust the tension of the spring 47 or may be located at a slant and adjustment of said tension may depend on the position on the end of the lspring connected to the spring 48 along the shank thereof.

The lamp 16 is shuntecl into the circuit and a part of the energy supplied by the circuit is passed through the lamp, as clearly indicated in Figure 7 of the drawings; the shunt being connected at one end to the circuit at 49, the other terminal of the shunt being connected with the circuit at 50. The provision of a lamp in this connection serves the double purpose of indicating the working condition of the mechanism and of cutting down impedance, insuring the sensitive working of the mechanism. 1When the light is glowing steadily, no count is being made and when the light is glowing intermittently, the device will be known to be functioning properly.

A window 16a is provided in the casing therefore from which the lamp may be observed and a second window 14a is provided adjacent thereto for observation of the counter mechanism.

I have found that a closed switch in certain situations gives better results than an open switch and the invention as herein described contemplates such a closed switch although an open switch may be substituted therefor under certain circumstances without departing from the spirit of the invention. While the closed contact is suthciently sensitive for the purposes of the lpresent application of the invention, it is not supertrated. I do not wish, therefore,rto be limited to any specific embodiment of the invention or to any particular application thereof to a machine.

I claim p 1. In combinationwith means for conveying sheets of paper along a course having a turn therein, and means for causing the rear end of the sheets to kick up in making the turn, of a switch mechanism in vcircuit Y with counter operating means, said switch having terminals one of which is operated by the kick up of said sheets.

2. In an organization for counting single moving sheets, means to cause the sheet to kick-up one edge, and circuit controlling means positioned for engagement by said kicked-up edge.

8. In an organization for counting single sheets moving along a pre-determined plane, rollers engaging said sheets and changin the course of travel of said sheet from said p ane and causing a kick-up of one edge of said sheet, and circuit controlling means positioned for engagement by said kicked-up part.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN LAIVLER MORGAN.

sensitive to the extent that ripples in the Y paper will cause a count. The provision of a carbon contact in the switch mechanism 13 prevents the forming of an arc between vthe contacts and the consequent welding of the contacts together.

By the use of a device of this character, I have found that a very accurate count may be made in a situation such as outlined above and where sensitiveness of the apparatus is necessary owing to the nature of the articles to be counted. It will appear, however, that the invention may have much wider appli- 

